


Just Like You

by gray_autumn_sky



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-08-15
Packaged: 2018-08-09 00:30:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7779772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gray_autumn_sky/pseuds/gray_autumn_sky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before Roland starts first grade, Regina spends a day getting him ready–and that includes a haircut.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Like You

Regina had taken a rare day off.

Henry was spending the day on Killian’s boat with Emma and Violet and Robin was volunteering at an animal shelter, helping to organize a pet adoption drive, and normally on such a day, Roland would spend the day with the Merry Men. However, the thought of spending one last summer day with Roland, when it was just the two of them was far too tempting to resist. So, she’d called her secretary and convinced herself that approving zoning permits and looking over notes from last night’s city council meeting could wait another day.

And she was certainly glad that she’d done so.              

They’d started early, enjoying breakfast at Granny’s before going back-to-school shopping. They’d gotten crayons and makers, notebooks and folders, and everything else on the list for elementary students. They’d stopped off for ice cream before shifting their focus from school supplies to clothes—and just before lunch, they’d returned home with bags and bags of new things.

Regina smiles as she reaches for a sauce pan, watching as Roland begins to unload the school supplies on the counter. She reaches into the refrigerator, grabbing the milk and the shredded cheese land laughing softly as Roland rubs his hand gently over a new pencil case.

“Do you think we got enough?”

He looks up and flashes a bright smile as he nods, and pulls another bag onto his lap. “I can’t wait to use all this stuff.”

“And I can’t wait to see you in that green sweater we bought,” she says, turning to him and running her fingers through his messy curls and pushing them off of his forehead so that she can drop a kiss onto it. Roland grins and pulls the sweater from the back, holding it up and examining it. “It really brings out your eyes,” Regina tells him as a grin pulls onto her lips. “That is, when you can see your eyes.”

Roland giggles and looks up at her, swiping the back of his hand over his forehead and pushing his messy curls from his forehead, batting his eyelashes and smiling sweetly at her.

Regina laughs as she returns to the stove, reaching for another pot and filling it with water. “You know, maybe after lunch we should go and you get a haircut.”

Roland’s eyes widen. “I’ve never gotten a haircut.”

“Sure you have,” Regina insists, chuckling softly as she turns back to him. “Otherwise it would be down past your shoulders.”

“Like yours was,” Roland giggles.

“Exactly,” she says, leaning in and rubbing her nose against his, giving him an Eskimo kiss. “So what you say? Haircut?”

Roland chews at his lip, nervously fidgeting with his fingers. “I…I wouldn’t know what to ask for.”

“Well,” Regina begins, reaching out and pushing her fingers through his hair. “Before I get my haircut, I like to look at pictures before my appointment. That way, I can see different options, look at different styles, see how other people like to do their hair.”

“What other people? Like… famous people?”

Regina nods, “Sometimes.” She grins, watching as Roland considers. “Other times I just flip through magazines, look at people in the ads…see if something or someone catches my eye.”

“Oh…” he murmurs. “It doesn’t _have_ to be of famous people, though, does it?” He shrugs his shoulder. “I don’t know any famous kids.”

“No. There aren’t really rules to this,” she tells him. “It’s just for fun and…inspiration.”

His eyebrows arch at the last word, “Like, someone who inspires you?”

“Maybe,” Regina muses. “You’re really just looking for a hairstyle you like, so you can look at pictures of anyone, really. They…don’t even have to be of real people.” A grin tugs onto her lips as Roland’s brow furrows. “Once when Henry was about your age, he was really into Sonic the Hedgehog…”

“The video game?”

“Yeah,” Regina nods. “And he was _absolutely convinced_ he wanted a Mohawk.”

Roland eyes widen, “Did you let him get it?”

“Well, you know Henry. Once he decides something, it’s hard to talk him out of it.” A smile curls onto her lips at the memory. “So, yes, I let him do it. But, for that, he didn’t need to get a haircut—he had to grow it out,” she tells him, a little laugh behind her words. “For one whole week Henry sported a…sad little Mohawk.”

“Just a week?”

Regina nods. “It was more work than it was worth and I don’t think he liked it as much as he thought it would. I think it made him feel more silly than cool.”

“So if I don’t like my new haircut…”

“You can _always_ change it and it will _always_ grow back.”Once more she pushes her fingers though his hair.  “Why don’t you take the clothes upstairs, and think about it while I make the macaroni and cheese and then we’ll decide what to do after lunch.”

She laughs as Roland hops off the barstool and grabs the shopping backs, gingerly tossing them over his small shoulders and the messy curls atop his head bounce.

______

When lunch is ready, Regina calls Roland down and he bounds down the stairs with a manila envelope tucked beneath his arm. She grins, eyeing it as she scoops some macaroni and cheese onto his plate and slides it toward him. He smiles brightly and pulls the plate to the edge of the counter, excited for his favorite lunch, quickly reaching for his fork, but careful not to let the envelope fall.

“You know,” she begins, “If you set that down it’ll be easier to eat.”

“It’s my picture,” he tells her in a very serious voice. “I don’t want to lose it.”

“Oh,” she says as a grin pulls onto her lips. “You know, you could give it to me for safe…”

“No!” He cuts in, his eyes widening as he shakes his head. “It’s a secret.”

“Oh…”

“I don’t anyone to know what I picked until it’s done.”

Regina tips her head curiously and her smile deepens. “So, you definitely want to get your hair cut before school starts?” Roland offers her a vigorous nod as he shovels some of the macaroni and cheese into his mouth. “You’re sure?”

“Positive,” he tells her.

“Okay,” she murmurs, leaning in and pressing a kiss atop his head and strokes her fingers though hair—though she knows it’s time for a cut, she also knows that she’ll miss the messy mop of curls. “After lunch, I’ll call Tink and set up an appointment for you.” Roland takes a breath and nods, and a small, nervous smile stretches over his lips. “You know, we can just get a trim, if that’s all you want.”

“No, I want it cut. I picked out exactly who I want to look like.” A smile edges onto her lips, and she feels a pang of regret for having suggested this. “I just…” He pauses and takes a short breath, then looks up at her with wide eyes. “Is it going to hurt?”

“No.”

Roland considers for a moment, slowly stabbing his fork into a noodle. “You’re _sure_? Not even just a little bit?”

“Absolutely sure.”

“Okay,” he says, taking another breath as his smile returns. “Then I want you to make the appointment.” He takes another bite of his macaroni and his smile deepens. “Can you make it for today?”

Regina watches as Roland kicks his feet back and forth and the way he continues to guard his envelope. Her eyes narrow a bit, wondering what he’s going to have done and silently hoping that it doesn’t do something extreme like shave his head. “Okay—I’ll go call her now, then.”

_____

She waits anxiously in the waiting room, every now and then trying to peer around the corner in an attempt to catch a glimpse at Roland’s new haircut. On the way there, he’d clutched the manila envelope between his fingers as he’d chewed nervously at his lip. When she’d asked if he’d changed his mind, he’d been adamant that he wanted the haircut—and he’d been adamant about not telling her anything more.

“I want it to be a surprised,” he told her, when she made her last attempt to get him to share some detail about the picture he’d chosen. “For you and Daddy.”

“Well, you know, I’ll see it before your dad does.”

“That’s okay,” Roland had told her with a nod. “I still want it to be a surprise, even if you guys end up seeing the surprise at different times.”

Tink had taken his hand and led him around a half wall to her station. Regina listened as he giggled when she washed his hair and she’d heard him tell Tink he’d brought a picture—but she hadn’t heard anymore than that. So, she sat there, nervously flipping through some tabloid magazine, wondering what her six-year old was up to.

Finally, she hears Tink telling Roland how handsome he looks and she tosses aside the magazine, standing as Roland rounded the corner. He smiles brightly at her as their eyes met and she gasps a little, making him giggle as he turned his head from side to side to show off the cut.  

A slow smile edges onto her lips—the cut is shorter around the sides and longer on the top, parted at the side and a little lift at the front. She’d never realized that he had cowlick there—in the exact same spot that Robin had one. Her smile warms and her breath catches in her chest—Roland looks so much older this way, no longer the floppy-haired little boy who’d trudged along in front of her on a muddy trail in the Enchanted Forest, but as his own smile broadens and his dimples sink into his cheeks, she can see that he still the same sweet little boy who’d stolen her heart—and he looks so much like his father.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes,” she says decidedly. “You look _very_ handsome.”

Roland grins but his lip catches between his teeth, “Do I…look like anyone? Someone you know?”

“You look _just like_ your dad.”

“Really? You _really_ think so?” He asks, hopefully. “That’s what I wanted. That was the picture I brought.”

“Yes, I really think so.”

“No one’s ever said that I look like my dad,” he adds quietly, shifting nervously as he glances back up at her.

“Oh…” she murmurs as she kneels down in front of him so that they’re eye-to-eye. “Well, you do look a lot more like your mom—and weirdly, sometimes you even look a little bit like me, but…” her voice trails off and her smile widens. “But I’ve always seen your dad in you.”

“You have?”

“Of course—you have the same chin and the smile, and those same adorable dimples.” She laughs a little, “And you have the same soft eyes and good heart.”  Roland’s cheeks flush as she leans in and rubs her nose against his, giving him an Eskimo kiss and winking as she pulls away. “But with that haircut, you two are practically twins.”

_____

Regina is standing in the kitchen, heating up the grill when she sees Robin walking up the back approach. A smile curls onto her lips as he come through the door, sliding his hand around her waist as he presses a kiss against her cheek.

“How was your day with Roland?”

“Fun,” she tells him. “We did breakfast at Granny’s, then some shopping and then…I took him to get a haircut.”

“A haircut,” Robin blinks. “He…got his hair cut.”

“Well, it was getting long and…”

“Oh, I know. I just…” He offers her a sad grin. “I have a soft spot for those messy curls.”

“I know,” she nods. “I did, too.” Leaning in, she pecks his lips. “But I think it was time and…he’s really excited about it.”

“Is he?”

She nods, “The boys are labeling all of Roland’s school stuff in the living room—why don’t you go take a look.” Robin’s brow creases and he tips his head curiously as she takes his hand and leads him toward the living room. She stops just as they reach the threshold, watching as Robin steps into the room, looking in Roland’s direction.

“So, Regina tells me you got a new hair…cut,” he says, his voice trailing off as Roland looks up at him. She watches as Robin looks at his son, his eyes studying him as Roland grins. “Now that is quite a stunning cut.”

“It the same one you have,” Roland giggles.

“Really?” Robin asks, tipping his head to the side. “I’m not so sure. You’d better come here so I can see you better.” Regina laughs as Roland gets up, standing in front of Robin and turning his head from side to side to show off the cut, just as he’d done for her at the salon. “Hm, well, I suppose it’s similar…”

“It’s _the same_ ,” Roland insists. “I even took your picture.”

“Did you?” Robin asks, laughing a little as he scoops Roland up. “Well, I must say, I should go to whomever it is cut your hair because that person did a _fabulous_ job. Because it _is_ the same cut, and my cut looks _much better_ on you than it does on me.” Roland giggles and Robin presses a kiss to his cheek. “You almost look more like me than _I_ do.”

“Good,” Roland says, almost shyly as he looks at Robin, “Because I want to be just like you.”

“Well, I think he’s on his way, don’t you think?” Robin asks, as he looks back at Regina, his words catching in his throat.

Regina nods and she feels her heart swell as both Robin and Roland look back at her with the matching dimpled smiles and the same arched eyebrow, and of course, the same haircut. She finds herself laughing a little as she shakes her head, glancing quickly at Robin before her eyes meet Roland’s. “You are _absolutely_ your father’s son.”  


End file.
